The Therapist Thrival Guide Ellie Mental Health

Hundreds of Ellie franchisees and clinicians from around the country came to Minnesota this fall for fun, learning, celebration, and community at our annual national conference. We were excited to connect with some of the incredible leaders at our clinics, and even convinced a few of them to join us for a live podcast recording!

In this episode we are discussing how to be the best clinic director, including:
- Characteristics of caring leaders
- How to show recognition and appreciation for the clinicians at your clinic
- The difference between empowering your employees vs. delegating to them

Our panelists:
Jacob Henry, LPC-MHSP - Clinic Director in Murfreesborro, TN Ellie Clinic
Emily Coler Hanson, MS, LMFT - Clinical Operations Director in Minnesota
Fabeain Barkwell, LCSW - Clinic Director in Pflugerville, Texas
Dynisha Smith, MA, LCPC - Clinic Director in Boise, Idaho

Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to help therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.

Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber.

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth

Today's episode is a little unusual-- we brought Gina Young, LICSW back to discuss her favorite kids' books to use in therapy sessions with kids! We break down our favorite books about general feelings, self-esteem, anxiety, and separation anxiety.

OUR FAVORITE BOOKS LIST:
- A Little Spot of Emotions Box Set: https://amzn.to/467L6h6
- I'm Happy-Sad Today: https://amzn.to/45dRmm6
- You've Got Dragons: https://amzn.to/465OY1T
- Invisible String: https://amzn.to/3PVDb0P
- What Were You Thinking: https://amzn.to/456ERJa
- Tough Guys Have Feelings Too: https://amzn.to/3ZwYlFE

Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.

Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber.

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth

This week we have the incredible Megan Cornish, LICSW joining us to discuss "red flags" and "green flags" for clinicians to watch out for in mental health companies and how therapists can advocate for themselves to get the pay that they deserve. Too often we hear about graduate or doctoral level clinicians with crushing student debt and barely making ends meet, and we believe this should NOT be the case.

Megan Cornish is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in combining strategic communication and marketing skills with no-concession clinical messaging precision. She is passionate about marketing, mental health, and advocating for a more ethical mental health field for everyone (plus we're just really big fans of hers).

More about Megan here: https://megancornish.com/

Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and rotating co-hosts from the Ellie Therapist network. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast covers topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth #suicideprevention

Rose Joiner, LMFT has been a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist since November 2014 and a MN Board Approved Supervisor since 2018.  Rose has been trained in EMDR, to help people who have experienced trauma. Rose considers therapy to be a vital and intrinsic part of our journey in life. In a world that is continually changing, finding ways to adapt to life stressors can at times become overwhelming.  Rose believes therapy can be as lighthearted or challenging as client desires, allowing clients to find their desired path.



Link to "Healing the Soul Wound" book: https://amzn.to/3tv8iaq



Link to Rose's episode on "When Therapists Watch TV": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShXdoCVeHI4&t=1s



Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. The intention is to move therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and rotating co-hosts from the Ellie Therapist network. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This podcast covers topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #therapy #mentalhealth #suicideprevention

How do you cope with the holidays, expectations from your family, and setting boundaries? Lucas, Miranda, and Letisha discuss how to navigate the holidays and help your clients set boundaries around this time of year.

Letisha Harris Miller is a mental health practitioner with a passion for helping others see their full potential and value even with challenges they have face. She has experience with family, individual and play therapy. She has a compassionate and understanding heart and a love for all types of people that makes her a joy to work with. She is on track for getting her LPC soon!

Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to help therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT. Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.

Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber.

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #holidays #therapy #mentalhealth

In this episode, we are discussing "The Whole Brain Child" book by Dr. Dan Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson.

Link to the book: https://amzn.to/46fSGWG

Therapist Thrival Guide is a video-podcast by Ellie Mental Health. We want to help therapists beyond surviving and into the realm of THRIVING by covering all the things that graduate school didn't teach you! This mental health podcast is hosted by Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW and Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT.

Each episode features a therapist at Ellie speaking to their areas of expertise, clinical interests, and personal experiences of being a therapist. This series will be covering topics like burn-out, self of therapist, cultural considerations, client retention, session structure, advancing clinical skills, innovations in therapy, and balancing professional relationships with our personal lives. Every now and then, we'll even cover the happenings of how therapists are portrayed in pop culture.

Dr. Lucas Volini, DMFT, LMFT, has been practicing as a marriage and family therapist for over ten years. Prior to joining Ellie as our VP of Clinical Quality & Innovation, he dedicated 8 years in higher education as a professor and clinical researcher at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral level of learning. With an emphasis on working with relational systems, he's a die-hard family therapist through and through and remains infatuated with all things family therapy. He's also the author of two textbooks geared toward preparing MFT graduates to pass the national licensing exam...But at the end of the day, he mostly sees himself as a professional recreational golfer and aspiring YouTuber.

Miranda Barker, MSW, LICSW, has been practicing as a therapist for two years. She previously worked as a child protection investigator, adoption social worker, and case manager. She's new to the therapy game and loves soaking up all of the knowledge from the expert therapists in her life. She's currently the Executive Producer at Ellie Mental Health's in-house creative agency and believes that creativity is an important aspect of mental health care.

Therapist THRIVAL Guide is one of many creative productions from ⁠Ellie Mental Health⁠. Ellie is a national mental health brand organized around community-based outpatient mental health clinics. It all began with a single office in St. Paul, Minnesota back in 2015, and since then has expanded to over 24 clinics in Minnesota and an explosive number of locations nationwide after franchising our model in 2021. Ellie will be opening over 500 locations in communities nationwide with new clinics opening each week. #couplestherapy #therapy #mentalhealth